BIOENERGY TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE
Forest Biomass and Wood Wastes* Summary of Findings The 2011 Billion-Ton Update estimates potential supplies of forest biomass and wood wastes under different yield and feedstock farmgate prices. Over a price range of $20 to $80 per dry ton at roadside, quantities of forest residue biomass potential vary from about 33 to 119 million dry tons currently, to about 35 to 129 million dry tons in 2030. This is somewhat less than the 2005 Billion-Ton Study (2005 BTS) due to the removal of used resources and the decline in pulpwood and sawlog markets. Primary forest biomass is the single largest source available for new uses—accounting for nearly half of the estimated total—including integrated operations, other Photo courtesy of Han-Sup Han, Humboldt State removals (e.g., land clearing), and thinnings on other forestlands. construction and demolition wastes, are the second largest Integrated operations are a composite category that includes potential source available for new uses. Other removals logging residues from roundwood harvests and fuel treatment (i.e., timberland clearing and precommercial thinnings) and operations on timberland. Since both of these residue sources thinnings on other or noncommercial forestland are much include the removal of sawlogs and pulpwood for merchantable smaller. There are relatively large amounts of mill residue products, they were combined to avoid double counting and generated each year; however, most of these materials are were constrained by sawlog and pulpwood harvests. Over time, used, leaving relatively small amounts available for new uses. quantities increase by the rate of growth in projected demand As shown below, large amounts of forest residue biomass and for sawlogs and pulpwood. Urban wood wastes, which include processing residues, such as mill residues and pulping liquors, the woody components in municipal solid waste (MSW) and are currently used by the forest products industry.
Estimated supply of forest biomass and wood waste at $80 per dry ton or less in 2012
MSW Sources
Pulping liquors
Mill Residues
Currently used Currently Forest Fuelwood Pulpwood to energy
Urban wood wastes Mill residues
Other forestland thinnings Other removals
Available for new uses new for Available Integrated Operations
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Million dry tons Illustration courtesy of BCS Inc. *This fact sheet refers to the following document: U.S. Department of Energy. 2011. U.S. Billion-Ton Update: Biomass Supply for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry. R.D. Perlack and B.J. Stokes (Leads), ORNL/TM-2011/224. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN. 227p. Download the full report at eere.energy.gov/biomass/pdfs/billion_ton_update.pdf. View the report, explore its data, and discover additional resources at bioenergykdf.net. 2 BIOENERGY TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE
Additional Information at county levels. The Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) database brings significant amounts of detail to the analyses. However, Primary forest residue biomass consists of a composite estimate there are limitations concerning its use for biomass, since the from two sources—removal of a portion of what is called primary FIA focus is on merchantable inventory. The use of the logging residue that is currently generated during the harvesting data and some of the issues associated with using FIA data at the of timberlands for sawlogs and pulpwood and removal of county level are discussed in the report. In addition to the FIA, excess biomass from fuel treatment thinning operations. the update used data from the Timber Product Output database These thinning operations, which consist of removing and the Resource Planning Act reports for future projections. merchantable whole trees and excess small trees, are designed to reduce risks and losses from catastrophic fires and improve forest health. The tops and branches of merchantable trees, Baseline vs. High-yield Scenarios cull trees, and excess small trees can be used for bioenergy The baseline assumes a continuation of the U.S. Department of applications. The merchantable trees can be used for sawlogs Agriculture 10-year forecast for the major food and forage crops and extends to 2030. The average annual corn yield increase is and pulpwood. While the sustainability of harvesting assumed to be slightly more than 1% over the 20-year simulation traditionally merchantable sawlogs and pulpwood has been period. The baseline also assumes continued trends toward no-till and reduced cultivation and an annual increase of 1% in energy studied at great length, the additional harvest of logging crop yields. The 1% change in annual yield reflects learning or residues and small-diameter trees for bioenergy creates new experience in planting energy crops and limited gains from breeding and selection of better varieties. The high-yield scenario concerns over forest ecosystem sustainability. In this update, is more closely aligned to the assumptions in the 2005 BTS. This sustainability was addressed by excluding administratively scenario assumes higher corn yields and a much larger fraction of crop acres in reduced and no-till cultivation. Under high yield, reserved forestlands (i.e., wilderness and national parks) and the projected increase in corn yield averages almost 2% annually roadless areas identified as possibly qualifying for wilderness over the 20-year simulation period. The energy crop productivity or other conservation protections. For lands where residue increases are modeled at three levels: 2%, 3%, and 4% annually. These gains are due not only to experience in planting energy removal is permissible a number of restrictions were imposed. crops but also to more aggressive implementation of breeding and For logging residue, 30% of the biomass was assumed left selection programs. onsite. For treatment thinnings, onsite retention was determined No high-yield scenario was evaluated for forest resources except for the woody crops. Forest residues come from existing as a function of slope and ranged from 30% for slopes less than timberlands, and there is no obvious way to increase volumes 40%, 40% for slopes between 40% and 80%, and no residue other than reducing the amounts of residues retained on site for environmental sustainability or decreasing the merchantable removal on slopes greater than 80%. utilization requirements; neither option was considered. In addition to the integrated operations, two other primary resources are considered in this update. Thinnings from other forestland (non-commercial) are conducted to improve forest health by removing excess biomass on low-productivity land. Other removal residue is unused wood that is cut during the conversion of timberland to non-forest uses and unused wood cut in silvicultural operations, such as precommercial thinnings. The processing of sawlogs, pulpwood, and veneer logs into conventional forest products generates significant quantities of bark, mill residues (coarse and fine wood), and pulping liquors. With the exception of small quantities of mill residues, secondary forest products industry residues are currently used in the manufacture of forest products or for heat and power production. In addition, valuable chemicals are recovered from pulping liquors. Finally, conventionally-sourced wood, which is defined as separate, additional operations to provide pulpwood- sized roundwood for bioenergy applications, was included.
Although a significant amount of effort went into the analysis, DOE/EE-0584 • August 2011 the estimates are still only as good as the underlying data and Printed with a renewable-source ink on paper dependent on the underlying assumptions. This issue is further containing at least 50% wastepaper, including compounded when developing comprehensive cost estimates 10% post consumer waste.